Shoe having a transversal air passageway and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

Shoe having a transversal air passageway comprising a shoe sole ( 4 ) and an upper ( 1 ) and a lower ( 3 ) pliable parts for enclosing a foot of the user of the shoe, wherein the shoe further comprises a peripheral band ( 2 ) formed in the shape of a closed line and formed in a resilient material, wherein the upper and lower parts are attached by their outer edges to opposing faces of said peripheral band along its length, and wherein the lower part is attached to the shoe sole in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway ( 5 ) is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and between the shoe sole and the lower part.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to shoes, in particular shoes with improved air permeability, commonly known as breathability.

Background Art

Document WO 03/055342 A1 discloses a moccasin with improved cushion layers formed therein, comprising a structure for a middle sole placed between a leather uppers and the outsole, forming a integrated plurality of air-cushioned embossments or cushioning parts, and a circulation path of outer air, for reducing weariness, for shock absorbing and also for air circulation, e.g. for removing unpleasant smells.

Document WO 03/055342 A1 also discloses a plurality of guide grooves 21 a, which traverse the bottom faces of communicating space portions 25, which are formed on a top surface of the outsole 21 that is in close contact with the bottom faces of the communicating space portions 25, so that the communicating space portions can communicate with the exterior of the moccasin.

According to WO 03/055342 A1, air cushioning bosses 23, formed integrally in the middle sole 22, and the communicating space portions 25 are not exposed to the outside, because the uppers 12 and the midsole 22 are sewn with each other.

The left and right cushioning portions 24 and 24 a are exposed to the outside, through side portions between the bottom surface of the uppers 11 b and the top surface of the outsole 21. However, as can be seen in FIG. 4B of WO 03/055342 A1, these cushions enclose the communicating space portions 25 and the uppers 11 are in contact with the middle sole 22 in the inner central area of the shoe.

Thus, air circulation between foot and outside is only produced through a path that includes the communicating space portions 25 and said transversal guide grooves 21 a.

The mentioned air circulation thus requires a “pumping” effort, as it is necessary the expansion and contraction of the moccasin itself during walking, in order to force air to circulate through said transversal guide grooves 21 a.

Document US20040163280A1 discloses a foot cushioning for footwear, using a deformable stretch-sole joined as a planar sheet to the perimeter edge of the shoe upper, forming an elastic end closure, creating an air space able to cushion the compression forces normal by a person's foot, providing a trampoline effect.

Document US20040163280A1 does not disclose providing any air circulation to the shoe, as the air space is fully enclosed being an air cushion.

Document WO2008019703A1 discloses a sole structure for a shoe, containing a cavity which extends along the sole body and is closed by an elastically deformable covering, said cavity having one or more transverse passages connecting the cavity with the exterior.

Document WO2008019703A1 discloses limited air circulation to the shoe, requiring a “pumping” effort, as it is necessary the expansion and contraction of the cavity itself during walking, in order to force air to circulate through said transverse passages.

These facts are disclosed in order to illustrate shortcomings of the prior art addressed by the present disclosure.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

It is described a shoe having a transversal air passageway comprising a shoe sole and an upper and a lower pliable parts for enclosing a foot of the user of the shoe,

wherein the shoe further comprises a peripheral band formed in the shape of a closed line and formed in a resilient material,

wherein the upper and lower parts are attached by their outer edges to opposing faces of said peripheral band along its length, and

wherein the lower part is attached to the shoe sole in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and between the shoe sole and the lower part.

That is, the lower part is attached to the shoe sole in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, is arranged between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and is arranged between the shoe sole and the lower part.

The peripheral band being resilient maintains the overall shape of the upper and lower parts, consolidating the structure and geometry of the shoe. The upper and lower parts, when flattened, are larger than the peripheral band and are brought to the shoe shape, constricted by the peripheral band, thus obtaining the final shoe configuration.

The described shoe assembly, namely by incorporating a lower part, dispenses with a mounting insole. By being a “glove”-type assembly and by dispensing a mounting insole, the shoe is able to only require stitching between lower part and shoe sole in the front and back parts of the shoe, leaving the part between front and back parts to be free for the transversal passageway.

The air passageway thus formed creates an air channel between the medial and lateral parts of the user's foot.

By not using a mounting insole, the foot is free to “breathe” more easily as less material is required to be crossed. By providing a passageway below the foot and because the foot is only separated by the upper material thickness, further “breathability” is obtained.

Of course, the shoe user is free to add a comfort insole to the shoe, i.e. a fully removable insole, unlike a mounting insole. Such comfort insole is optional.

The peripheral band is preferably shaped in the final shoe shape. This has the advantage that it is more easily obtained the final shoe shape, as it can be done simply by attaching the upper and lower parts to the peripheral band.

In an embodiment, the peripheral band is horizontal, for example substantially parallel to the plan wherein the shoe sole lies. Alternatively, slight inclinations or non-linear segments are also possible.

In an embodiment, the resilient material of the peripheral band is a polymer, or in particular an inextensible polymer, or in particular plastic or rubber, or the same material of the shoe sole, or the hardened shoe sole material. Hardening of said polymers is for example by heat or by adding hardening additives to the polymer.

In an embodiment, the upper and lower parts are of leather, natural fabric, synthetic fabric, canvas, meshed nylon, or combinations thereof. Alternatively, other materials for making a shoe sidewall (e.g. vamp, quarter, toe cap, mirror) may be used.

In an embodiment, the sole is of rubber, hardened leather, plastic, plastic composite, or combinations thereof.

In an embodiment, the attachment of the lower and upper parts to the peripheral band is glued, stitched, or glued and stitched, or vulcanized, or vulcanized and stitched.

In an embodiment, the attachment between the lower part and the shoe sole is glued, stitched, or glued and stitched, or vulcanized, or vulcanized and stitched.

In an embodiment, the shoe sole is comprised by an outsole and a middle sole, wherein said lower part is attached to the middle sole and the middle sole is attached to the outsole.

In an embodiment, the attachment between the middle sole and the outsole is glued, stitched, or glued and stitched, or vulcanized, or vulcanized and stitched.

In an embodiment, the attachment between lower and upper parts to the peripheral band has been finished by peripheral abrasion.

It is also described a method of manufacturing a shoe having a transversal air passageway comprising a shoe sole and an upper and a lower pliable parts for enclosing a foot of the user of the shoe, said method comprising the steps of:

providing the shoe with a peripheral band formed in the shape of a closed line and formed in a resilient material,

attaching the upper and lower parts by their outer edges to opposing faces of said peripheral band along its length, and

attaching the lower part to the shoe sole in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and between the shoe sole and the lower part.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises attaching an outsole and a middle sole, for obtaining said shoe sole.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises attaching said lower and upper parts to the peripheral band by gluing, or stitching, or gluing and stitching, or vulcanizing, or vulcanizing and stitching.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises finishing the attachment of said lower and upper parts to the peripheral band by peripheral abrasion.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises attaching the lower part and the shoe sole by gluing, or stitching, or gluing and stitching, or vulcanizing, or vulcanizing and stitching.

A horizontal plane of a shoe is a plane parallel to the ground when the shoe is placed on its sole on the ground.

The front part of a shoe is the part of the shoe that includes the toe region and the back part of a shoe is the part that includes the heel region.

The medial part of a shoe is the part of the shoe closest to a person's centre of symmetry, and the lateral part of a shoe is on the opposite side, away from their centre of symmetry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures provide preferred embodiments for illustrating the description and should not be seen as limiting the scope of invention.

FIG. 1: Schematic perspective representation of an embodiment of a shoe with a transversal air passageway where:

(1) represents the upper part,

(2) represents the peripheral band,

(3) represents the lower part band,

(4) represents the shoe sole, and

(5) represents the transversal air passageway.

FIG. 2: Schematic exploded view representation of an embodiment of a shoe with a transversal air passageway wherein the reference numbers have the same meaning as above.

FIG. 3: Schematic section view representation of an embodiment of the peripheral band 2.

FIG. 4: Schematic cross-section view representation of an embodiment of a shoe with a transversal air passageway wherein the reference numbers have the same meaning as above, with cross-sections A-A and B-B, depicting a cross-section of the shoe front part and a cross-section of the passageway part, respectively in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is described a shoe having a transversal air passageway comprising a shoe sole (4) and an upper (1) and a lower (3) pliable parts for enclosing a foot of the user of the shoe,

wherein the shoe further comprises a peripheral band (2) formed in the shape of a closed line and formed in a resilient material,

wherein the upper (1) and lower (3) parts are attached by their outer edges to opposing faces of said peripheral band (2) along its length, and

wherein the lower (3) part is attached to the shoe sole (4) in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway (5) is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, arranged between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and arranged between the shoe sole (4) and the lower (3) part,

wherein the resilient material of the peripheral band (2) is rubber, in particular the same material of the shoe sole (4), or the hardened material of the shoe sole (4) material,

wherein the attachment of the lower (3) and upper (1) parts to the peripheral band (2) is glued and stitched.

It is also disclosed a method of manufacturing a shoe having a transversal air passageway comprising a shoe sole (4) and an upper (1) and a lower (3) pliable parts for enclosing a foot of the user of the shoe, wherein this method comprises the steps of:

providing the shoe with a peripheral band (2) formed in the shape of a closed line and formed in a resilient material,

attaching the upper (1) and lower (3) parts by their outer edges to opposing faces of said peripheral band (2) along its length, and

attaching the lower (3) part to the shoe sole (4) in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway (5) is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and between the shoe sole (4) and the lower (3) part,

said method comprising attaching said lower (3) and upper (1) parts to the peripheral band (2) by gluing and stitching, and finishing the attachment of said lower (3) and upper (1) parts to the peripheral band (2) by peripheral abrasion.

The term “comprising” whenever used in this document is intended to indicate the presence of stated features, integers, steps, components, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that unless otherwise indicated herein, the particular sequence of steps described is illustrative only and can be varied without departing from the disclosure. Thus, unless otherwise stated the steps described are so unordered meaning that, when possible, the steps can be performed in any convenient or desirable order.

The disclosure is of course not in any way restricted to the embodiments described and a person with ordinary skill in the art will foresee many possibilities to modifications thereof without departing from the basic idea of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

The above described embodiments are obviously combinable.

The following dependent claims set out particular embodiments of the disclosure. 

1. Shoe having a transversal air passageway comprising a shoe sole and an upper and a lower pliable parts for enclosing a foot of the user of the shoe, characterized in that the shoe further comprises a peripheral band formed in the shape of a closed line and formed in a resilient material, wherein the upper and lower parts are attached by their outer edges to opposing faces of said peripheral band along its length, and wherein the lower part is attached to the shoe sole in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, arranged between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and arranged between the shoe sole and the lower part.
 2. Shoe according to claim 1 wherein the peripheral band is horizontal.
 3. Shoe according to any of the previous claims wherein the resilient material of the peripheral band is a polymer, in particular an inextensible polymer, or in particular plastic or rubber, or the same material of the shoe sole, or the hardened material of the shoe sole material.
 4. Shoe according to any of the previous claims wherein the upper and lower parts are of leather, natural fabric, synthetic fabric, canvas, meshed nylon, or combinations thereof.
 5. Shoe according to any of the previous claims wherein the sole is of rubber, hardened leather, plastic, plastic composite, or combinations thereof.
 6. Shoe according to any of the previous claims wherein the attachment of the lower and upper parts to the peripheral band is glued, stitched, or glued and stitched, or vulcanized, or vulcanized and stitched.
 7. Shoe according to any of the previous claims wherein the attachment between the lower part and the shoe sole is glued, stitched, or glued and stitched, or vulcanized, or vulcanized and stitched.
 8. Shoe according to any of the previous claims wherein the shoe sole is comprised by an outsole and a middle sole, wherein said lower part is attached to the middle sole and the middle sole is attached to the outsole.
 9. Shoe according to the previous claim wherein the attachment between the middle sole and the outsole is glued, stitched, or glued and stitched, or vulcanized, or vulcanized and stitched.
 10. Shoe according to any of the previous claims wherein the attachment between lower and upper parts to the peripheral band has been finished by peripheral abrasion.
 11. Method of manufacturing a shoe having a transversal air passageway comprising a shoe sole and an upper and a lower pliable parts for enclosing a foot of the user of the shoe, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: providing the shoe with a peripheral band formed in the shape of a closed line and formed in a resilient material, attaching the upper and lower parts by their outer edges to opposing faces of said peripheral band along its length, and attaching the lower part to the shoe sole in both the front and back parts of the shoe, but not in a part between the front and back parts of the shoe, such that a transversal air passageway is formed from the medial part to the lateral part of the shoe, between the front and the back parts of the shoe, and between the shoe sole and the lower part.
 12. Method of manufacturing a shoe according to claim 11, comprising attaching a outsole and a middle sole, for obtaining said shoe sole.
 13. Method of manufacturing a shoe according to any of the claims 11-12, comprising attaching said lower and upper parts to the peripheral band by gluing, or stitching, or gluing and stitching, or vulcanizing, or vulcanizing and stitching.
 14. Method of manufacturing a shoe according to any of the claims 11-12, comprising finishing the attachment of said lower and upper parts to the peripheral band by peripheral abrasion.
 15. Method of manufacturing a shoe according to any of the claims 11-12, comprising attaching the lower part and the shoe sole by gluing, or stitching, or gluing and stitching, or vulcanizing, or vulcanizing and stitching. 